 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Evelyn Chan, MD, Dept. of Medicine, University of Texas, 6431 Fannin, Suite 1.122MSB, Houston, TX 77030, 713-500-6705, evelyn.c.chan@uth.tmc.edu, Sally W Vernon, PhD, School of Public Health/Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas - Houston, 7000 Fannin, Suite 2560, Houston, TX 77030, Chul Ahn, PhD, Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Medicine, University of Texas, 6431 Fannin, MSB 1.110, Houston, TX 77030, and Anthony Greisinger, PhD, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, Kelsey Research Foundation, 7800 Fannin Street, Suite 209, Houston, TX 77054.
Background: Educational interventions to promote informed decision making for prostate cancer screening with prostate specific antigen (PSA) have been directed at African American (AA) men in general. We assessed knowledge about and experience with PSA testing in two populations of AA men. Methods: AA men age 50 and older attending Harris County Clinic (HCC) (n=150) and Kelsey-Seybold Clinic (KSC) (n=109) were asked about their knowledge and experience with PSA. We compared mean global and sub-section knowledge scores (e.g., cancer, screening, treatment) for each demographic, knowledge, and experience variable using Student´s t-test. Step-wise linear regression identifed variables associated with knowledge. Results: Nearly 50% of HCC men had less than a high school (HS) education and over 90% had an income under $25,000/yr. About 75% of KSC men had more than a HS education and 90% had an income greater than $25,000/yr. Mean global knowledge scores for HCC men for each demographic variable were lower than for KSC. For HCC men, “ever heard of” and “ever had” a PSA were significant predictors of global knowledge; for KSC, it was “ever had” a PSA. For HCC men, “doctor ever told you to have a PSA,” “ever heard of,” and “ever had” a PSA were significant predictors of screening knowledge; for KSC, it was“ever had” a PSA. Conclusion: Knowledge about prostate cancer screening with PSA may differ in different populations of AA men as a result of their experience with PSA testing. Educational approaches to inform AA men about screening may need to consider this.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: African American, Screening
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.